The Nats won their fourth straight game last night despite another near-collapse by their bullpen, as we once again saw Drew Storen and Rafael Soriano make matters way more interesting than they needed to be. They are now back at the .500 mark with a chance to win their fifth consecutive game for the second time this month and the third time this season.

Washington has actually won ten of their last 14 games, which is a nice little stretch as they move towards the end of August. The Braves have also started to slip, albeit barely, with two straight losses since losing Jason Heyward to a broken jaw. Atlanta remains 13 games up in the division, but as long as the Nats keep winning they will help their cause.

Today they have Jordan Zimmermann (14-7, 3.37) on the mound against the Royals, looking to tie Adam Wainwright for the National League lead in wins. Zimmermann has had a rough second half of the season with 23 earned runs allowed in 30 2/3 innings, compiling a 6.75 ERA. He hopes to get back on track as he faces Kansas City for the first time in his career.

Pitching for Kansas City is right-hander Wade Davis (6-9, 5.43) who has been the less successful part of their offseason trade with Tampa. Davis has been consistently bad for the Royals all season, and was pulled after just 3 2/3 innings his last time out in Detroit. He has been noticeably better this year at home, with a 3.62 ERA at Kauffman Stadium offsetting his 5.02 mark on the road, but the Nats should still have a good chance for some offense tonight.